Astrid (Laura Lee Brautigam)

Astrid Callaway is an aspiring puppeteer. If that seems like a bizarrely pitiable career choice, consider that she’s also been dating her slacker boyfriend Sam for seven years and there’s no sign of a ring, a baby or a real job on their horizon. You may think Astrid’s life must have an upside. Then her sister Aubrey announces that she’s getting married instead, and you realize Astrid just might not be the good news type…

Actress Laura Lee Brautigam has played Astrid since the 6th and final season of Something to Be Desired. A a graduate of Huntington University in Indiana, she has worked with the Pittsburgh City Theatre, Bricolage, No Name Players, the Pittsburgh CLO, and the Pittsburgh Irish and Classical Theatre, among others. One of Laura’s proudest achievements is joining her husband in pioneering “Urban Impact Shakes” on Pittsburgh’s North Side, in which 10 inner-city students are chosen to participate in a summer-long Shakespeare-intensive mentoring program.

In her spare time, Laura loves to watch her husband perform with the Amish Monkeys (Pittsburgh’s longest-running improv troupe!), play with her lab-mastiff puppy Trooper, watch Project Runway and drink coffee. And, on weekends, Laura actually is a barista at Crazy Mocha. (Isn’t that ironic?)